Deli 'variety pack' uses

Some of the grocery stores or Polish delis I frequent will package up ends or small quantities of deli meats or sausages and sell them at a discount [Fresh Farms in Niles sells these for 2 bucks a pound, for example]. When I lived closer to Polish delis, I would regularly buy sausage ends and ham-type things and use them in a lentil or bean soup.

Yesterday, with bits from Fresh Farms, I discovered another wonderful use for deli-ends: I minced some up and used them to stuff mushroom caps [along with fresh bread crumbs, grated gouda cheese & a smattering of smoked paprika, red pepper and black pepper].

So, that's 2 uses. I recall some thread about making 'ham salad' with ground up ham & baloney, so that could be another.

Other thrifty ideas?

Giovanna

Pasta salad would be a good way to use up the ends as well.

The best garbage subs EVER--if I were only allowed to purchase one thing at Fresh Farms, that would be it. Mystery meat extraordinaire!!

boudreaulicious wrote:The best garbage subs EVER--if I were only allowed to purchase one thing at Fresh Farms, that would be it. Mystery meat extraordinaire!!

Ditto. I buy the meat ends at Shop and Save here on Archer. It's like around $1.49-$1.79 a pound. They do the same with cheese. If you know what you're looking at, you can find some great stuff. Last week I got Canadian bacon, pastrami, and some other whole cured muscle cuts. I used some of those to fry with scrambled eggs but, generally, I just make a sandwich of them. The mix of meats is perfect for the kinds of sandwiches I like, and cheap as all get-out. Throw a variety of meats, some garden tomatoes, a bit of mayo perhaps, cheese (or not) and giardiniera or olive salad, and you have yourself a fine sandwich.

Binko wrote:Throw a variety of meats, some garden tomatoes, a bit of mayo perhaps, cheese (or not) and giardiniera or olive salad, and you have yourself a fine sandwich.

Or a great omelet, for that matter.

boudreaulicious wrote:The best garbage subs EVER--if I were only allowed to purchase one thing at Fresh Farms, that would be it. Mystery meat extraordinaire!!

YES to sandwiches! Had one like that for lunch today. But it was my wonderful experience with the stuffed mushroom caps that made me want to start this thread.
Figured there'd be be something brilliant that one of us had come up with that I hadn't thought of.

I may have my dish for the picnic, however . . . .

Giovanna

What many people do is to take the ends of the lunch meal is to grind them into a slurry and add pickles, mayo, and the like. Some call it balogna salad while others call it sandwich spread. It can be pretty tasty.